Bear attacks man and dog in Irondale Township – Brainerd Dispatch

IRONTON – A 58-year-old Irondale Township man and his dog were injured Tuesday, May 7, after being attacked by a bear in the 20000 block of Freeman Lane in Ironton.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a bear attack south of Ironton at 10:51 p.m. Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office Craig Katzenberger said when officers responded to the apartment, they found a man who had cuts on the right side of his face and ear, as well as cuts on his right leg. He was transported to Cuyuna Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Sheriff’s deputies were unable to find the bear.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation officer Tony Flerlage said he interviewed the man at home the next morning and learned that he was home letting his dog out when a bear attacked the man’s dog. Flerlage said the man then walked toward the bear when it was also attacked.

The dog is alive but has not yet been to the vet, said Flerlage.

“For me, when it comes to enforcement, public safety is and will always be the number one priority,” Flerlage said. “But since I wasn’t there when the actual incident occurred, it was basically just follow-up interviews about the incident. …It’s pretty rare for that to happen. We don’t come across bears attacking people here very often.”

Flerlage said he is working with the Wildlife Division to formulate a plan as they try to find the bear that attacked the man and euthanize it. However, since the bear ran away, it will be difficult to identify the bear that attacked the man.

“Just to emphasize safety around bears, especially this time of year – the bears are coming out, they’re hungry and looking for food,” Flerlage said. “Anything you can do to prevent bears from being interested in people’s property is good, for example, taking down the birdhouses and keeping the trash locked or inside to prevent the bears from being interested in people’s property interest someone.”

In an Alexandria Echo Press article in April, Andy Tri, the DNR’s bear project manager with the Forest Wildlife and Populations Research Group, said dogs and bears don’t mix well. Tri said dogs attack and then approach a bear and, realizing they have a significant size disadvantage, run back toward their owners and drag the bear behind them.

“Bears have a hunting instinct that is sometimes triggered by this, and sometimes these little dogs will run and drag the bear behind them,” Tri said. “…In general, they don’t get along with dogs and bears. And that’s why keeping them on a leash is honestly the best solution. If you live in the country and don’t have a fence and there are bears around, turn on the lights and make some noise when you let the dogs out at night.”

Tri recommended checking out the BearWise website – https://bearwise.org/ – which was developed by the state agency’s bear biologists to help people live responsibly with black bears. Tri said almost all human conflicts are food-related, and securing trash and clearing away bird feeders generally means the bear moves on. Tri said bear relocation had not been effective as a previous tool and that in the past bear problems had been solved with bullets, but public tolerance for lethal techniques had decreased over time.

“And I think that’s a good thing,” Tri told Echo Press. “We now have more tools in our toolbox. And people care more about wildlife. As a wildlife biologist, it’s just heartening to see people care so much.”

In May 2023, a 65-year-old woman from Minneapolis was staying in a cabin near Nisswa when she was struck by a black bear and knocked to the ground.

“She went outside to bring the dog in and encountered a black bear,” Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk said at the time. “She was hit in the chest and arm by the bear and knocked to the ground. Family members heard the fight and were able to scare the bear away from the victim and the yard.”

The woman was taken to Essentia Health-St. brought. Joseph’s Medical Center and was treated for shoulder, chest and back injuries sustained in the fight. In the Alexandria interview, Tri said he thought the incident was an accident on all sides.

“The dog was a rescue and she was still getting used to when he had to go out and all that stuff,” Tri said of the Nisswa incident. “She let it out the door and heard some scrambling and some noises that she thought was a raccoon fighting – she went down the stairs and suddenly she’s between the dog and the bear.”

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources notes that there have been no fatal bear attacks in Minnesota.

Since 1987, there have been eight unprovoked bear attacks in the state that resulted in hospitalizations. In most incidents, bears were attracted to unsecured food sources in homes or campsites, according to the DNR.

In three cases, the bears chased dogs that were not on a leash. Bears perceive dogs as a threat and hunted dogs often return to their owners with the bear at their heels.

One of the bears involved in the attacks had a very unusual brain disorder that certainly led to his aggressive behavior, and he also showed signs of having been previously kept in captivity. None of the other bears involved in the attacks had any physical symptoms.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has provided the following safety tips for encounters with black bears.

• Observe it from a safe distance or from inside to assess why it is there. Is there a food source such as bird seed that attracts the bear?
• Wait and see if the bear leaves on its own. If the bear does not go away on its own, but approaches (for example, comes onto the deck or puts its paws on windows or doors), it is time to try to scare it away: boldly shout, hit pots, doors hit or throw something.
• If a person has bear spray, remove the fuse and be ready to use it if the bear approaches.
• Sometimes bears show a quick outburst of aggression to defend themselves against a perceived threat. The closer people are to the bear when it senses a person’s presence, the more likely it is to exhibit defensive behavior. This behavior is intended to intimidate and deter the threat. It can open its mouth, hit the ground while blowing or snorting, and it can even bluff to charge towards you. The bear tells you that you are too close and wants you to leave. This is not the time to argue with the bear.
• Try not to appear threatening. Talk to the bear calmly and slowly back away. Do not run.

If you encounter a bear on a trail, you should indicate your presence by speaking calmly. Change your route or slowly backtrack and return in the direction you came. Walk, don’t run, and keep an eye on the bear to see how it reacts. In most cases, the DNR reports, the bear will flee. “If the bear comes at you, act boldly, scream and throw something at it. Don’t climb a tree.”

TIM SPEIER, staff writer, can be reached on Twitter

@timmy2thyme

call 218-855-5859 or email

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